Choosing Battles

They ran like they always do, in pairs…in sync. Warming up for another day on the soccer field, they did what they could to ignore the torrential rain that worked against their every step. The sweatshirts, t-shirts and pants were immediately pounds heavier with the soaking.

Most definitely not the ideal conditions for a fall tryout.

Every coach hopes to know which players are going to best help the program. They want to quickly identify those with the fastest feet, the longest endurance, the best skill. It’s difficult to do under the conditions we have faced thus far in our tryouts for the 2007 Stout soccer season, but many other things can be determined in situations like this.

Almost as important as physical fitness is the ability to decipher between which battles are worth fighting and which ones should be ignored. One thing that makes a good soccer player is her ability to adjust to her surroundings and accept those realities that cannot be controlled.

No battle will ever be won when it comes to the weather. The wind will continue to blow, the rain will continue to fall, and the choice becomes whether or not to stand and gripe about it, or to simply adjust.

The same goes for so many aspects of the game. No matter how bad the call was that a ref made, the choice is to stand and argue with him or to simply accept the new situation that has been created as a result of the call.

Where do you spend your energy? Are you preparing for that next moment, or are you stuck fighting against those things that have already happened?

Opposing teams and opposing fans can be equally as challenging. They often say and do things to take your focus off of the moment so that you turn your energy away from what you should be doing and instead you react to things they have said and done. Choose your battles.

Even when the weather is perfect and the opposing team is polite, there are always going to be battles to fight. You may not get the playing time you think you deserve, or get to play your favorite position, or you may be plagued with nagging injuries, but you always have a choice about what part of those things you are going to fight against. Choosing a reaction that will help you get from where you are to where you want to be, is often more than half the battle.

You’re not going to change the weather, a bad call, the choices of the opposing team, the reality of an injury, or the decisions of your coaches, but you are always in charge of the battle lines that are drawn.